fire stations – Dezeenhttps://www.dezeen.com
architecture and design magazineSat, 10 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Copper scales cover fire station in French Alps by Studio Gardoni Architectureshttps://www.dezeen.com/2016/10/18/chamonix-fire-station-copper-scales-studio-gardoni-architectures-french-alps/
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/10/18/chamonix-fire-station-copper-scales-studio-gardoni-architectures-french-alps/#commentsTue, 18 Oct 2016 07:00:07 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=987946Panels of shimmering copper form the scaly skin of this fire station in Chamonix, which is designed by Studio Gardoni Architectures to reflect the massive Alpine peaks that rise behind it. The Chamonix fire station is located in the valley of the Massif of Mont Blanc – a mountain range in the Alps bordering France, Italy and Switzerland. Lyon studio Studio Gardoni Architectures wanted

]]>Panels of shimmering copper form the scaly skin of this fire station in Chamonix, which is designed by Studio Gardoni Architectures to reflect the massive Alpine peaks that rise behind it.

The Chamonix fire station is located in the valley of the Massif of Mont Blanc – a mountain range in the Alps bordering France, Italy and Switzerland.

Lyon studio Studio Gardoni Architectures wanted to cause as little impact to the natural landscape as possible when designing the fire station for the small French town.

The architects embedded the fire station into a slope and covered the upper part of the top-heavy structure in panels of copper, which are intended to reflect the hues of its surroundings and to weather with age.

A gabion wall made from stones excavated from the site forms its base, while the roof is covered in grass and pebbles that help it further blend with the setting.

"Rising from the slope, the building is covered up by the ground of the clearing, and is destined to disappear when the nature once again reclaims its rightful place," said the architects.

"The copper, found in the scaled facade and the standing seams, begins its slow mutation once it has been installed, and will turn from gold to brown, as seen in a number of structures found in the valley," they continued.

"This material reflects the surrounding peaks, transforms the site and is transfigured every hour of the day by the changing sunlight and the clouds."

Parking spots for fire engines are tucked around the back of the building, as well as in the basement. A series of clerestory windows peak above ground level and offer plenty of light to this level.

Less noisy activities are positioned on the road-facing side of the building, including a gym located in a large box. This space is complete with a basketball court, and is finished with a mix of concrete and timber-panelled walls.

"The architectural concept strives for invisibility," said the architects. "It aims to render invisible the impact of a fire station as we typically see or imagine one, a building bustling with activity, with a particularly prominent roadway network."

A timber-lined atrium stretching the full height of the three-storey building is wrapped in walkways. These offer access to the other areas of the building like workshops, training and shower rooms, and storage areas.

The atrium is topped by a large skylight that floods the space with natural light, and has a tree growing up from the ground floor.

On the second floor there are also two courtyards for relaxing, which feature glass roofs, stone floors and small trees.

The rose-tinted structure is named simply Feuerwehr Vierschach, as it serves the village of Vierschach, which is located in the remote Puster Valley on the Italian-Austrian border.

The building is set over two levels. The staircase, with a curling red balustrade, is set into a niche at one end.

A large ramping forecourt disguises the base of the building from the village, but the full height of the structure is revealed from the other side of the site.

Both entrance points to the building feature red-framed glazing to match the colouring of the concrete.

An events hall set on the upper floor of the building is lined with wood panelling made from hand-planed pine, while the garage on the lower floor has a more utilitarian appearance with exposed concrete surfaces and strip lighting.

Black furniture and cabinetry provide a common thread between the two parts of the building.

Irregularities in the concrete, both within and on the outside of the building, have been left exposed to add detail to the simple form.

"Irregularities or divergences in the concrete only adds charm to the material and the character of the building," said Oberlerchner.

He said the exposed concrete construction was in part selected due to its durability, creating a water- and frost-proof enclosure during the valley's snowy winters.

"As to the building's economic efficiency, particular attention was paid to the attainment of a robust and simple construction, the usage of only a few materials and to reduction of work stages to a minimum," he added.

"Furthermore the sensible choice of materials ensures a high durability and reduced maintenance costs."

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/22/feuerwehr-vierschach-pedevilla-architecs-red-alpine-fire-station/feed/2Studio Gang designs Brooklyn fire station with bright red detailshttps://www.dezeen.com/2016/01/29/brooklyn-fire-station-studio-jeanne-gang-company-number-2-new-york-city/
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/01/29/brooklyn-fire-station-studio-jeanne-gang-company-number-2-new-york-city/#commentsFri, 29 Jan 2016 19:30:51 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=843219Architecture firm Studio Gang has designed a fire station for Brooklyn, where emergency workers will be able to live, work, and use the building itself for training exercises. Located in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, New York, the 20,000-square-foot (1,858 square metres) station will be made of precast concrete panels with large openings edged in red-glazed terracotta. The design is organised

]]>Architecture firm Studio Gang has designed a fire station for Brooklyn, where emergency workers will be able to live, work, and use the building itself for training exercises.

Located in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, New York, the 20,000-square-foot (1,858 square metres) station will be made of precast concrete panels with large openings edged in red-glazed terracotta.

The design is organised around a three-storey void designed to bring light and air into the centre of the structure. This can also be used for training practice to simulate New York's vertical urban fabric of windows, balconies, fire escapes and ledges.

Fire trucks and emergency equipment will be able to enter or exit the building from two sides, speeding up response times.

The blocky massing of the structure will be broken up by multiple openings that will allow many of the activities within to be visible to passersby. These are highlighted by the red panels, which are intended to add detail and emphasise the areas where the building connects to outdoor and public spaces.

The building includes part-time living quarters for the firefighters, a large communal kitchen and dining area, as well as all the storage, equipment, and facilities necessary for rescue work.

The building will also have a pair of accessible green roof areas for outdoor recreation and relaxation, as well as integrated planters. One of these planters at the corner of the building and be large enough to hold a tree.

"With its adaptable spaces, environmental approach, and civic scale, the new Rescue 2 firehouse is both a neighbourhood fixture and important piece of infrastructure, supporting a highly trained corps who safeguard those who call New York home," said the architecture firm.

The project will serve Fire Company Number 2, which is tasked with a responding to a wide variety of emergency situations including, fires, building collapses, and water and scuba rescues.

The project has received city approval and building work will start in June, with an expected completion date of late 2017.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2016/01/29/brooklyn-fire-station-studio-jeanne-gang-company-number-2-new-york-city/feed/2Oregon fire station by Hennebery Eddy features a burnt wood facadehttps://www.dezeen.com/2015/12/11/fire-station-76-hennebery-eddy-architects-gresham-oregon-blackened-wood-facade/
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/12/11/fire-station-76-hennebery-eddy-architects-gresham-oregon-blackened-wood-facade/#commentsFri, 11 Dec 2015 22:00:07 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=817234Hennebery Eddy Architects has clad a fire station in rural Oregon with charred wood, turning "the destructive manner of fire into an image of beauty" (+ slideshow). The building – called Fire Station 76 – is located in Gresham, a small city just east of Portland. Encompassing 10,120 square feet (940 square metres), the station

]]>Hennebery Eddy Architects has clad a fire station in rural Oregon with charred wood, turning "the destructive manner of fire into an image of beauty" (+ slideshow).

The building – called Fire Station 76 – is located in Gresham, a small city just east of Portland.

Encompassing 10,120 square feet (940 square metres), the station is situated on a flat site near agricultural fields, with views of the Cascade Mountains in the distance.

The fire department serves a community of family-run farms and nurseries.

"The main idea was to create a building inspired by the local agricultural community, and one that considered both the beauty and devastation of fire," said Camilla Cok, a project architect at Hennebery Eddy Architects.

"The station's two primary functions – emergency response and crew dwelling – juxtapose one another in form, orientation and materials, and function similar to a rural house and a barn."

During the design process, the architects aimed to create more than a utilitarian building.

"In its simplest form, a fire station comprises little more than a dwelling with an oversized garage," the firm explained. "At its most complex, it embodies the values of its community and functions as a highly technical machine for emergency response."

"That understanding, infused with aspects of storytelling and context, inspired our design effort," said the firm.

The station consists of two connected buildings: one contains living quarters, the other houses vehicles and apparatus.

The living quarters are located within a bar-shaped, low-slung building that stretches from north to south. The structure is largely clad in blackened wood, a design element that is both functional and symbolic.

"The functional focus of the station – fire, an element of both beauty and destruction – guided the treatment of materials," said the firm.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2015/12/11/fire-station-76-hennebery-eddy-architects-gresham-oregon-blackened-wood-facade/feed/2KAPKAR / BB-N34 by Frank Havermanshttps://www.dezeen.com/2013/08/19/kapkar-bb-n34-tower-by-frank-havermans/
https://www.dezeen.com/2013/08/19/kapkar-bb-n34-tower-by-frank-havermans/#commentsMon, 19 Aug 2013 11:40:32 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=346972This bright red tower resembling the head and neck of a monster was constructed by Dutch designer Frank Havermans as the beacon for a fire station in a small Dutch town. With a height of almost five metres, the kinked steel tower stands on a grassy mound outside the fire station in Borger and was

]]>This bright red tower resembling the head and neck of a monster was constructed by Dutch designer Frank Havermans as the beacon for a fire station in a small Dutch town.Above and top: photography is by Rene de Wit

With a height of almost five metres, the kinked steel tower stands on a grassy mound outside the fire station in Borger and was designed by Frank Havermans to draw attention to the building - a glass structure by Dutch studio AAS Architects at on a road junction outside the town centre.

"KAPKAR/BB-N34 is a kind of an alien appearance," said the designer. "It attracts people's attention but also raises questions."

The body of the tower is painted red to match the colours of the fire engines, plus a large red light is housed inside the upper section and glows out towards the road.

"I designed a fire lamp that functions as a watchful eye in front of the building, close to the roads and roundabout," said Havermans.

Metal sheet and tubes give the structure a machine-like aesthetic, intended to reference the equipment used by the fire fighters.

The fire department of the town of Borger since several years dwells in a new fire station, which is strategically replaced from the centre of the village to a location at the crossroads of the local highways N34 and N374. Here the right direction to the calamity can be chosen efficiently. The new building (AAS Architects) is an elementary box, which is organised in a simple and efficient way. The service entrances are places at the lower level at a walled courtyard. All service spaces are placed below ground level. Through this all the attention is placed to the nice fire engines that are exposed on the higher level in a kind of window box. The building also has something anonymous and because it is a volunteer fire department there is not much human activity. And if there is activity it most of the times happens out of sight at the walled courtyard. From the "so called' landmark function building in my vision is no question, and that is not really necessary as well, it is a modest fire station in a small village. But it can use some extra attention that mark the fire station and the people who are volunteering. The firemen also desire that and asked clearly for that. For this I designed a fire lamp that functions as a watchful eye in front of the building close to the roads and roundabout. KAPKAR/ BB-N34 is a kind of an alien appearance that is placed on a two metre-high ellipse shaped hill. It attracts people attention but also raises questions. From all sides on the provincial highway you can see it clearly. It does not look like something familiar and on the other hand is fits to its surrounding in a naturally way. It looks like the fire department purchased a new instrument. What's the function of this new device? These questions rise when people pass the station.

Site plan - click for larger image

The construction looks technical and alien at the same time. It is almost five metres high and consists of a kinked metal construction that functions as a stand that hold a large disk shape lamp. The whole targets at the roundabout. It strikes by its expressive appearance and by its red light plane that attracts the attention. The construction self is made of metal sheets and tubes which are painted fire red, the official fire department colour. The construction refers to the equipment used by the corps without pointing it out directly. The lamp itself is constantly radiating a red light through the visor. As a 24/7 watchful eye the lamp points out that there is a system of always alert people in the community even if they are not present and visible in the fire department itself. It shows the community that something is about to happen, is happening or has happened the last hours. Even when the firemen are back and everything is quite again, the watchful eye reminds the community of the local hero's who take care of all the fires and other calamities.